Heckler who called Prince Andrew "sick old man" arrested during procession

12 September 2022, 17:37 | Updated: 13 September 2022, 07:26

Prince Andrew was taunted by a protester as he walked behind a hearse carrying his mother's coffin in the streets of Edinburgh today.

The Duke of York was joined by his siblings, King Charles III, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, as the Queen's body was carried from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to nearby St Giles' Cathedral.

Footage on social media shows a young man in the crowd on the Royal Mile, appearing to shout: “Andrew, you’re a sick old man.”

Mourners reacted with fury, leading to a scuffle in the crowd before the heckler was eventually pushed towards police officers.

Footage shows the young man being pushed to the ground and led away by police as a member of the public shouts, "disgusting".

The heckler can then be heard saying, "oi, I've done nothing wrong", as an officer grabs him and leads him away from the crowd.

Prince Andrew was disgraced by a sex abuse scandal involving his paedophile billionaire friend Jeffrey Epstein which was a great source of embarrassment to the Royal Family.

Read more: Moving moment King Charles III leads Queen's children in sombre procession through crowd-lined streets of Edinburgh

Read more: Woman arrested during King’s proclamation in Edinburgh charged with breach of the peace

The Duke of York was accused of sexually assaulting Virginia Giuffre when she was 17 and a minor under US law. His alleged victim claims Epstein arranged this after trafficking her into his sex ring.

Andrew always denied wrongdoing and eventually settled a lawsuit in New York out of court, but his reputation has still plummeted.

He was the only of his siblings not to wear uniform for today's ceremony, having been stripped of his honorary military titles by his mother during the height of the scandal.

Andrew won't wear uniform for his mother's funeral, although he will wear one as a special mark of respect for a vigil in Westminster Hall, sources have said.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A 22-year-old man was arrested in connection with a breach of the peace on the Royal Mile around 2.50pm on Monday, 12 September 2022.”